FOLDABLE SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEM, ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLY, SHIPPING AND INSTALLATION OF THE SAME

• US 20130340807A1
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: GERWING, DAVID H., McCarthy, Sean C., Bradley, Maureen, Hammell, James A., Loates, Mitchell J.A., Bruno, Richard T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,720,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 136/246
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2025/012 Foldable support elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2025/014 Methods for installing support elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 30/425 Horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 30/428 with inclined axis
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/052 Cooling means directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Peltier elements for active cooling or heat sinks directly associated with the PV cells cooling means in combination with the PV module H02S40/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/10 Supporting structures directly fixed to the ground H02S20/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/30 Supporting structures being movable or adjustable, e.g. for angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/32 specially adapted for solar tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 30/20 Collapsible or foldable PV modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/47 Mountings or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49355 Solar energy device making

Abstract

A solar tracking assembly includes a spine and a plurality of paired brackets connected to the spine. The brackets are positioned on opposite sides of the spine and at least one of the paired brackets includes wheels to allow rolling movement of the spine. An array arm is attached to each bracket and is moveable from a shipping position to a deployed position, and at least one solar array panel is secured to each array arm. A method of installing a solar panel assembly includes assembling in a secondary automated process at least one solar panel assembly in an offsite location, loading the solar panel assembly in the shipping position on a truck, transporting the truck to a deployment site, and off-loading the solar panel assembly from said truck.

Claims

1. A solar tracking assembly comprising:

a spine;

a plurality of paired brackets connected to said spine, wherein said paired brackets are positioned on opposite sides of said spine;

an array arm attached to each said bracket, said array arms moveable from a shipping position to a deployed position; and

at least one solar array panel secured to each said array arm.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said solar array panels associated with one said array arm face said solar array panels associated with an opposed array arm when deployed in said shipping position.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, further comprising:

a hinge provided at about a mid-point of each said array arm, wherein at least one said solar array panel is disposed on said array arm between said hinge and said spine and at least one said solar array panel is disposed on said array arm between said hinge and a distal end of said array arm.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein said hinge moves said distal portion of said array arm to face a proximal portion of said array arm so that said solar array panels on each said array arm face one another when deployed in said shipping position.

5. The assembly according to claim 2, further comprising:

at least one hinge on each said array arm, wherein said solar array panels are disposed on each said array arm on either side of said at least one hinge.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of support assemblies, each said support assembly having a receptacle, wherein opposed ends of said spine are rotatably received in respective said receptacles.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of ballast blocks supporting said plurality of support assemblies; and

a trough system supported by said plurality of ballast blocks to carry electrical control cables for the tracking assembly.

8. The assembly according to claim 6, further comprising:

a drive assembly coupled to an end of said spine and carried by one of said support assemblies, said drive assembly rotating said spine so that said at least one solar array panel tracks movement of the sun.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein said drive assembly comprises an adjustable drive-slip clutch so as to allow regulated rotatable movement of said spine.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, further comprising a winglet secured to said at least one solar array panel which works with said adjustable drive-slip clutch to enable passive wind furl and/or passive snow dumping by displacing the center of rotation from the center of pressure thereby proving a torque that will rotate the array to a minimum structural loading position.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a universal joint attached to an end of said spine to allow connection to an adjacent solar tracking assembly.

12. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

wheeled caster brackets attached to at least one of said paired brackets to allow rolling movement of said spine.

13. A method of installing a solar panel assembly, comprising:

assembling in a secondary automated process location at least one solar panel assembly, which comprises;

a spine;

a plurality of paired brackets connected to said spine, wherein said brackets are positioned on opposite sides of said spine, and wherein at least one of said paired brackets includes wheels to allow rolling movement of said spine;

an array arm attached to each said bracket, said array arms moveable from a shipping position to a deployed position; and

at least one solar array panel secured to each said array arm;

moving said array arms to a shipping position;

loading said solar panel assembly in said shipping position on a truck;

transporting the truck to a deployment site; and

off-loading said solar panel assembly from said truck.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

loading a plurality of ballast pads on to the truck;

off-loading said plurality of ballast pads; and

positioning said plurality of ballast pads at the secondary automated process location.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

assembling support assemblies on to said plurality of ballast pads, said support assembly having receptacles;

moving said array arms from said shipping position to a deployed position; and

placing said spine on to said receptacles.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

assembling at the secondary automated process location a hinge at about a mid-point of each said array arm, wherein at least one said solar array panel is disposed on said array arm between said hinge and said spine and at least one said solar array panel is disposed on said array arm between said hinge and a distal end of said array arm, and wherein said solar array panels on each said array arm face one another when deployed in said shipping position; and

unfolding said solar array panels at said hinge at said secondary automated process location.

17. A method of folding a solar panel assembly for compact shipping, comprising:

providing a spine with a plurality of paired brackets, wherein each bracket of said paired brackets are positioned on opposite sides of said spine;

each said bracket having an array arm detachably mounted thereto that carries at least one solar array panel; and

moving said array arms so that each said solar panel faces and is substantially parallel with another solar array panel carried by said array arm attached to said other paired bracket for shipping.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

providing at least one of said array arms with an inner array arm connected to an outer array arm by a hinge, each said inner array arm and outer array arm carrying said at least one solar array panel.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

moving said outer array arm at said hinge so that said solar panels on each connected inner array arm and outer array arm face one another.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

providing wheeled caster brackets on at least one of said paired brackets;

folding said inner array and outer array arms on each said of array arm facing one another and said array arms associated with each said paired bracket facing one another; and

rolling said spine with folded array arms on to a truck.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

rolling said spine off of said truck; and

unfolding said inner and outer array arms and said paired array arms so that said solar array panels no longer face another.

22. A solar tracking assembly, comprising:

a spine;

a plurality of solar array panels extending from both sides of said spine;

a motor having a slip clutch, said motor connected to said spine for rotation of said spine; and

at least one winglet secured to selected solar array panels, wherein detection of a predetermined differential torque on said plurality of solar array panels causes said slip clutch to allow rotation of said spine to alleviate forces applied to said solar array panels by the differential torque.

23. The solar tracking assembly, according to claim 22, further comprising:

a wind sensor positioned proximally the tracking assembly, said wind sensor generating a wind speed data; and

a control system receiving said wind speed data and controlling operation of said motor, said control system operating said motor so as to return said spine to predetermined tracking position when said wind speed data reaches a predetermined threshold.

24. The solar tracking assembly according to claim 22, further comprising:

a snow sensor positioned proximally the tracking assembly, said snow sensor generating snow data; and

a control system receiving said snow data and controlling operation of said motor, said control system operating said motor so as to rotate said spine and said solar array panels to an angle sufficient to dump snow therefrom.